The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominik, 2007)

Click here for the basics

Rating: Q=7, P=4 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=1

Biopic, Frontier, Crime, Loyalty

It seems that every film Casey Affleck stars in depresses me...this one is just grueling. But it is absolutely gripping and starkly beautiful. Everything about the men in this film makes me sad. Affleck does a magnificent job of portraying a young man who craves glory and who tries to grapple with his destructive idolization of Jesse James. Great performances by Sam Rockwell and Brad Pitt, too. The legend of Jesse James (and any other infamous or notorious celebrity later) is rife with contradictions and falsehoods. It is exceedingly romanticized. Here is an early example of what happens if you are desperate to be noticed and your boyhood hero doesn't turn out to be anything like what you read or dreamed. Not even close. The assassination of Jesse James was less a murder of a man and more the destruction of an idea.

--Don't understand the ratings? Click here

Star Wars: Clone Wars Seasons 1-7

Star Wars: Clone Wars (George Lucas, Dave Filoni, and others 2008-2020)

Click here for the basics

Science Fiction, Action, Adventure

After watching The Mandalorian my husband and I launched ourselves into all things Star Wars. We revisited many of the films and then watched all of Clone Wars in chronological order (which I recommend). The first few episodes didn't impress me right away--season 1 has some cheesy and goofy moments--but not longer after that the show gets really good and pulls you in. There is character development that never happens in any of the films, there is emotion and actual relationship building, and there are lots of droids and cool spaceships...pew pew! Clone Wars answers many questions that the films don't and provides so much more context to the Star Wars universe.

Season 1 Rating: DSQ=9, SP=5 / Average Snack

Scale A=3, Scale B=3, Scale C=3, Scale D=2, Scale E=3

Season 2 Rating: DSQ=10, SP=6 / Can't Get Enough

Scale A=3, Scale B=3, Scale C=4, Scale D=3, Scale E=3

Season 3 Rating: DSQ=10, SP=6 / Can't Get Enough

Scale A=3, Scale B=3, Scale C=4, Scale D=3, Scale E=3

Season 4 Rating: DSQ=11, SP=7 / Decadence

Scale A=3, Scale B=4, Scale C=4, Scale D=3, Scale E=4

Season 5 Rating: DSQ=10, SP=7 / Decadence

Scale A=3, Scale B=3, Scale C=4, Scale D=3, Scale E=4

Season 6 Rating: DSQ=11, SP=8 / Decadence

Scale A=3, Scale B=4, Scale C=4, Scale D=4, Scale E=4

*My favorite storyline is episodes 1-4

Season 7 Rating: DSQ=12, SP=7 / Decadence

Scale A=4, Scale B=4, Scale C=4, Scale D=4, Scale E=3

--Don't understand the ratings? Click here

Silent Running

Silent Running (Douglas Trumbull, 1972)

Click here for the basics

Rating: Q=4, P=4 / Average OJ

Scale 1=2, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=2

Science Fiction, Philosophical, Environmentalism

Well, this one was pretty depressing. Silent Running is a film about what might happen if Earth no longer has any plants or wildlife left and no one cares about the fate of what little has been saved. It's a story, too, about morality and solitude. It's heavy, but there are light-hearted and hopeful moments. And droids! This film has been cited as the inspiration for many droids in Star Wars and Mystery Science Theater.

--Don't understand the ratings? Click here

The Driver

The Driver (Walter Hill, 1978)

Click here for the basics

Rating: Q=4, P=4 / Average OJ

Scale 1=2, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=2

Action, Crime, Chase

The Driver is a straightforward crime and car chase action film. While a large portion of the film is car chasing, which I don't care for, there is quite a bit of in-between story in a minimalistic style of filming and acting and that was intriguing. Ryan O'Neal barely has any lines and his swagger makes for a distinct contrast from his nemesis, Bruce Dern, who is a talkative and brash dirty cop. An enjoyable little escape.

--Don't understand the ratings? Click here